The Arts

NEW READS

by Kathryn Brooks, Sarah Robertson and Kimberly Webster

With the holidays behind us, we welcome 2019. Getting back to a normal routine allows us breathing room and some well-deserved downtime. With the release of great debut novels, some new books by beloved authors and plenty of non-fiction that will help you digest the crazy world around us, why not plan to settle in with several of these page-turners.

THE WATER CURE

BY SOPHIE MACKINTOSH

In this sensational debut, three sisters sequestered for life from the toxic world of men are catapulted into emotional turmoil when three men wash ashore on their isolated island. Part fable, part feminist dystopia, Mackintosh’s taut novel turns a keen, unsparing eye on violence, patriarchy and desire. Release date: January 9.

BLACK LEOPARD, RED WOLF

BY MARLON JAMES

From the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings comes a sprawling, epic fantasy about a mercenary hired to find a missing child. The first of three novels in James’ Dark Star trilogy, Black Leopard, Red Wolf fuses mythology, fantasy and African history into a sensual, psychological triumph. Release date: February 5.

LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE

BY VALERIA LUISELLI

The author of The Story of My Teeth returns with a fierce, lyrical novel about the shattering of long-held illusions during a family road trip through the American southwest. Luiselli’s compassionate reflections on immigration, borders and storytelling have never been more timely. Release date: February 12.

GINGERBREAD

BY HELEN OYEYEMI

The prize-winning author of Boy, Snow, Bird returns with another genre-defying fable, this one about a mother and daughter whose family history is bound together by a fantastical gingerbread recipe. Oyeyemi’s trademark imagination makes for an enchanting, unreal story about legacy and birthright. Release date: March 5.

MERCHANTS OF TRUTH:

THE BUSINESS OF NEWS

AND THE FIGHT FOR FACTS

BY JILL ABRAMSON

Drawing on her experience at the helm of The New York Times as its former executive editor, Abramson delivers a gripping analysis of an industry in chaos through the lens of four publications navigating record disruption. As the media comes to grips with fake news, new revenue models and video pivots, the author’s vision has never been more necessary. Release date: January 22.

WHERE REASONS END

BY YIYUN LI

From one of our most masterful writers of fiction comes a slim, singularly unusual book–an imagined conversation between a mother and the teenage child she lost to suicide. Stitched through with the autobiographical heartache of Li’s loss of her own teenage son, this tightrope of form and function is heart-wrenching, fearless and unlike anything you’ve ever read. Release date: February 5.

BANGKOK WAKES TO RAIN

BY PITCHAYA SUDBANTHAD

In this remarkable debut, one Bangkok house tells centuries of tales about its generations of residents. Ambitious and sweeping, yet at once intimately crafted and shot through with fine detail, Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a sumptuous accomplishment. Release date: February 19.

SPRING

BY ALI SMITH

Smith’s rule-breaking Seasonal Quartet continues with Spring, the third entry in a series of standalone novels that reimagine what fiction can do. Packed with free-form flashbacks, flash-forwards and high-flying wordplay, Smith’s work is ever-shapeshifting and ever-surprising. Release date: March 12.